Read this article. Choose a scene in Breathless and respond to the following quote. Be sure to write at least 2 paragraphs. Respond to each others' posts. Here's the quote:
"This basic sequence of events is the minimal thread of continuity that holds the filmic narrative together. However, causal development and character motivation in the traditional sense are relatively loose. While the film does not reject narrative conventions as a whole, it goes a long way towards weakening the tight-knit structure and explanatory mechanisms affiliated with dominant narrative. The film's visual construction works even more aggressively against conventional film style. It systematically departs from the aesthetic guidelines and rules defined by continuity editing, relying variously on long-take sequences (often shot with hand-held camera) and jump cutting."
Due: Wednesday, May 22
This quote says that continuity holds the film narrative together. I agree with this statement because Breathless involves a lot of discontinuity editing and it makes it a little difficult for the audience to follow. These jump cuts are used to show a lapse in time, but the viewer is unaware of how much time has actually passed. This was the editor and director's choice. Their style is reflected in the way the film is edited.
ReplyDeleteThe scene I chose to analyze that I felt best reflected this quote, begins at 56:22. It is the scene where Patricia goes to the press conference to interview the French author. Jump cuts are used very frequently in this scene. The shots cut from close ups of cameras to interviewers asking questions to the interviewee. This not only shows a lapse in time, but also gives the audience a sense of chaos. The questions from the interviewers are being thrown at the author so fast and so frequently, that the discontinuity editing makes the viewers feel overwhelmed. Which is similar to how the author is feeling in this scene. The jump cuts and discontinuity make the scene slightly hard to follow, but that is the editors choice.
The movie Breathless is one of the great many works of Jean-Luc Godard, a director from the era of the French New Wave in film history. In an essay by M. B. White, he comments that the film’s narrative is only loosely held together because it occurs in chronological order. However this weakened structure of a film narrative does not hinder the effect that it is able to create on the viewer. The film’s unconventional style of a narrative is paired with Jean-Luc Godard’s unconventional style of filming and editing in his movies including Breathless. Some of these techniques include his use of long takes, and jump cuts, that add to the meaning and interpretation of the film, while not necessarily adding a whole lot to the moving forward of the story, thus is the style of French New Wave films. Jean-Luc Godard used this style in his films as a way to challenge the conventional style of film that was being produced at the time, along with other film critics who had joined him. These techniques can be seen in one scene from Breathless where our main character Michel is walking with a girl that he likes, named Patricia. In this scene, the first shot is a major chunk of the total time in the scene, covering over a minute and a half of screen time with one continuous medium-long shot of Michel and Patricia, slowly walking towards the camera while the camera dollies backward. The actual content of this scene is not very important at all. The only thing said that actually moves the narrative of the plot forward in the film is when Patricia talks about how she is going to be late for a meeting with some guy that will help her with her career. The rest of everything said in this scene is not very important towards the basic storyline of the narrative, like Michel’s story of the bus conductor and when he talks about sleeping with Patricia. So this basic chronological sequence of events is really the only thing that is helping us understand the narrative, but what the important part from this is the unconventional use of such a long take being used in this scene, in which not a lot of importance is drawn from for the narrative itself. This is a very unique style of filming especially as during this long take several people interrupt our view of the main characters of the narrative, thus obscuring our understanding of a narrative at all even more. Truly the fact that the film occurs chronologically is one of the main factors that keep the narrative form falling apart. This paired along with the use of an unconventionally long take is one of the things that mark this film as a very influential film in history.
ReplyDeleteThe end of this scene is just as controversial as the last part with its use of a limited, loose narrative structure and the use of jump cuts as a way to add meaning to the film. In this part of the scene, we jump from the last shot to a close up shot of Michel from behind driving the car. Then it cuts to a shot of Patricia from behind, facing away from the camera. Then we cut to a shot almost exactly like this of Patricia, which is what the rest of the scene consists of; different shots of Patricia that are all from the same angle, same position, just jump cutting to the same shots that have different backgrounds. To note about the plot of this scene, again the only thing learned is minimal, that Patricia feels something wrong with Michel and that she arrives to her destination; not a huge movement foreword in the plot again. The continuity of events is the only thing that keeps it all together.
The editing used in this scene is what is really interesting about it. The jump cuts in this scene do a lot of things to the viewer, and leave a lot of speculation open towards their purpose. The background of each shot changes with each jump cut during their conversation, revealing that this cut jumps to different points in time during the ride to Patricia’s destination. This creates a confused feeling in the viewer, which is confusing then why Godard wanted to add this effect in his editing. The idea of a jump cut is to confuse the viewer and make them feel uncomfortable with the edit. These jump cuts are so perfectly executed that they lead us to believe that there are either long pauses in between their conversations, with the change in background, or maybe even that what they say in between the cuts is unimportant, as is most of what they talk about it anyway. All Michel ever talks about with Patricia is how he wants to sleep with her and how he can’t live with out her. So these jump cuts are a very unconventional, risky technique that worked for Godard in his filming of this scene. And for his film as a whole, the style of his in this French New Wave era in film history was very controversial to everything else being produced at that time, with its loose narrative and unique film techniques like long takes and jump cuts, shown in the scene from Breathless.
ReplyDeleteThe French Nouvelle Vague, as the title would suggest, was a film movement all about change. With a strong focus on new techniques, the Nouvelle Vague lead to how we know film in the modern sense. Seeing changes like shorter significantly shorter shots in some movies, new ways of lighting sets, a much more kinetic camera, and changes like pushing what was allowed to be aseen in a movie and what was deemed appropriate, the Nouvelle Vague stands as a sign of the times. This experimental phase, bred from a desire to make films more exciting and realistic, unlike what films had become in that time, being cookie cutter productions, was headlined by films like 400 blows and Breathless. Breathless itself is an interesting specimen in the fact that it liberally uses uncomfortable jump cuts throughout the movie. The interesting thing about it, however, is that these cuts are not used to cut through large amounts of time or space. On the contrary, they are used to accentuate continuous action, and as such draw the viewers attention to the mundane detail of an otherwise unspectacular scene.
ReplyDeleteIn Breathless, every time these jump cuts are used, they are around some action being performed by either Michel or Patricia. The biggest reason for this would be the fact that these two characters are the protagonists, so attention should be impressed on them. Past this, however, i thing the jumpiness is supposed to reflect the charaters' own attitudes and behaviors, as the two are young and free, and seem to act completely on impulse, without much thought or structure, just like the meticulous unstructure of the editing. One of the scenes that stands out to me in this sense is when Michel steals the American car when he's with Patricia, then they begin to drive along a road. Godard uses jump cut here to great effect. As the two young adults drive, every couple seconds there are cuts. These cuts move the car furth along the road, even into new areas, and as such are used here to show time is passing, without wasting time in showing the complete action. Another use for this type of editing is used when you look at Patricia. Like I said before, the cutting in this scene helps us understand Patricia's state of mind. With each jump cut that Godard puts in the scene, Patricia, though still in the car next to Michel, is in a different position. For example, one moment shell be sitting facing toward Michel and seem completely enamored in him, the next shell be sitting forward but leaning toward him, and the next shed be turned away from him and fixated on the landscape. I believe this was indicative of her state of mind, as she obviously had feelings for Michel, but she was unsure of how she wanted to act on them, if at all. Not to mention the fact that Michel himself acted coolly disinterested, and Patricia didn't know what to make of it. Ultimately, the editing helps to draw the viewers focus directly to Patricia, and illustrates the unrest inside her. This shot was actually made of extremely long shots that Godard cut into many many smaller shots, and this type of editing, paired with the almost non existent narrative, flew in the face of established cinematography, and did so with much style and extreme success.
The article and the excerpt that you chose emphasize the shift in narrative style and shift in other aspect of conventional film language brought on by the French New Wave. The choices made by Jean-Luc Godard in this film provide for a less comfortable, but more rewarding film viewing experience than other films typical of the time. The aspects of film that viewers often focus on, the action, the characters’ motives, and a strong story line, become less important. The aesthetic feel of this movie is different and the art of filmmaking is the thing highlighted rather than “the story”. The French New Wave as a movement had a strong sense of questioning what was accepted for the sake of celebrating and exploring what could be uniquely possible in film as a medium.
ReplyDeleteThe scene I chose is the lengthy hotel room scene. It begins around 28 minutes and continues until about 52 minutes in. I really enjoyed this scene. It can’t really be described by “what happens” in it, because that isn’t that important. Through the use of jump cuts and other discontinuity editing techniques the viewer has the sensation of losing track of time. You don’t know how long they’re in that room, if just minutes, hours or days pass. That sensation makes the scene feel more intimate. The lighting changes from natural to darker in the bathroom and goes further to add to the sense of not really knowing exactly where the characters are or what time of day it is. Long takes also make the viewer feel closer to the characters because it is as if we are experiencing the moment with them in real time. All of these aspects of the film also add to a feeling of freshness and impulsivity that reflect the youth of Michel and Patricia. Nothing is certain for them and these are all new experiences.
The random chaotic give the film an erratic style and a chaotic sense to the film which matches the sense of danger threatening Michel, Michel's pressure to move to Italy, but most of all Patricia’s mixed feelings towards Michel. An example of this is the scene where Patricia is riding in the passenger seat in one of Michel’s many stolen cars. The shots are never particularly long and cut off many times within a conversation, sometimes within the same sentence. It proves to be completely different shots when Patricia is looking at Michel one second, and then the background changes and she's looking away. We're not sure if this is just Jean-Luc Godard being unable to do this scene in one shot, or if he's implying that something happened in between that is left as a mystery to the audience that the characters never mention again. No matter which of the two had happened, this is proof that Patricia's feelings towards Michel are varying- this a shows her capability to turn Michel in as well as her attachment to him (proven when she takes on his personality after his death. Ultimately, Godard and other French New Wave filmmakers had used the seemingly random and erratic cuts to make even more implications than possible otherwise in order to break the conventional standards of ‘art’ in film.
ReplyDeleteThe French Nouvelle Vague dealt with unconventional styles of filming. It's main focus was to change the way film technique was perceived, as seen in the movie "Breathless". Jump cutting, moving shots, and the breaking of the 180 degree rule all exemplify what the style of filming was going for. It was evident that film makers were getting bored with the "one-way" style of filming, and so this new alternative provided a more free and creative approach at filming. Breathless in fact glorifies this creativeness all throughout the movie, with its many discontinuous jump cuts.
ReplyDeleteThe scene where Michel finds the guy he was searching for has to do with Patricia becoming more distant. The quick jump cuts gives the scene a more exited feel, which makes the out of focus shots of Patricia stand out more, and helps to portray the misplaced emotions that Patricia is feeling. She feels more like an outcast in Michel's presence, and prefers to be around people of average intellect who she can relate to, and meets one at a restaurant while waiting for Michel. Also, by breaking the 180 degree rule, it shows that Patricia has begun to turn her back on Michel and is no longer on his side. Michel's name is flickering because of the lights in the city, and he constantly avoids being seen by people that he recognizes. The editing and the moving of the camera helps to build suspense in the scene. Michel and Patricia's emotions towards each, though not seen explicitly, are portrayed through the cinematic lens. These techniques prove to be very effective for the rich style and heavy tone of the film. The editing contributes more to the film than the cinematography, and it is evident through the use of the jump cuts. Rules and regulations were not taken into account when it came to editing, though the same can't be said for the actual filming. In one part a man begins talking with Michel about his apparel, but then he is just cut off by the apparent jump forward to Michel screaming at somebody far away. Even though the discussion between the characters had no purpose, it is still not left out entirely, but instead is used to make a statement, which notes the presence of the common socialist as opposed to the the eccentric Michel. The use of non-conventional filming proves to be effective and provides originality and meaning to the film as a whole.
“Breathless” is a 1960’s crime film directed by the great Jean Luc-Goddard. The film is focused on a small time thief named Michel that gets himself into a huge jam by killing a police officer. Another character is introduced, her name being Patricia, an American lover working in Paris. The story of the film is telling their endeavors as Michel tries to escape police, while looking for his “friend” that owes him money. This film is considered a child of the French New Wave, a movement that many consider to be all about the change of cinema. The style that many directors used during this era bent the known conventions of filmmaking and storytelling. Like most films during this era, the story is very open ended (the directors liked to allow the audience to decide for themselves what the true meaning of the film was) and many of the shots were hand-held too provoke a sense of realism. Another aspect of this film that is very unique is the way Goddard uses disjunctive editing, more so jump cuts, throughout his film. What most film scholars believe is that continuity is the ultimate device in piecing a narrative together. Jean Luc-Goddard had other ideas for his film, and its “visual construction [worked] even more aggressively against conventional film style” but had the same effect.
ReplyDeleteGoddard’s use of unconventional film techniques is highlighted especially in the second scene of the film, where we see Michel driving down a scenic Paris countryside road. The scene starts off with him driving, and the casual movement of the car along with the steady rolling of the camera gives the scene a very lax feel. Then, suddenly, the jump cuts begin. There are close-ups of Michel and point of view shots that have different environments after every shot. Although Goddard says that he did this because he had a very long take and he wanted to get rid of the “boring” parts, this sort of editing has a totally different effect on the audience. Because of these jump cuts, we get the feeling that time and space are drastically changing; that Michel has miraculously driven hundreds of miles in a matter of seconds. The audience knows this is not possible, but the feeling is inevitable with these jump cuts. Also, since this is the first time we really see Michel, the tone and the character of Michel are set. From this scene, we know that Michel is a very shady and spontaneous character; shady because he is stealing cars and talks to himself about somebody trying to find him but never will, and spontaneous because anytime jump cuts are used for a character, I get this feeling. The edit also helps the spontaneity is of the film as a whole because it creates suspense, and any jump cuts in a film usually elicit a surprised response from the audience. As Austin stated is his response, these jump cuts were a very risky and unconventional move, but in the end, this film has had more of an impact on cinematography and the French New Wave movement than most. Godard and his contemporaries proved that unconventional film making can still be powerful and desired by audiences for all time.
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ReplyDeleteIn Breathless, unique continuity in cuts( jump cuts) and shots are very popular and important in order convey the main message of Breathless. The quote described is directing its attention to the film and its creative style of editing. The scene that I have chosen analyze to prove this quote through cinematic development is toward the beginning of the film where Michel is basically introduced by an “interview” type of discussion in his supposed car (could have been stolen.) The reason why it is an interview type format is because it is as if Michel is speaking to the camera man or the supposed person that is sitting there. During this car drive, the audience/ viewer slowly learns more and more of Michel’s personality through his dialogue and actions. For example: when he passes a group of ladies he describes them, judging whether they are hot or not. Through his actions the viewer learns that he has more of a playful and laid back personality. The jump cuts and editing play into the picture of Michel by switching from point of view to a shot of him multiple times. It is also noticed that that after every jump cut, a different topic pops up and out of Michel’s mouth or through his actions (again). Also through every different action is when we learn about his personality which is the reason for the importance of these jump cuts. At a normal viewing of these jump cuts it seems that they were unpurposeful and just look discontinuous but as one takes a closer look after each cut it is a different topic and setting (background of car/ behind the car)
ReplyDeleteThese “jump cuts” relate to the idea of continuity in the film as a whole, according to the quote, is to again, create the meaning of the film.
The cinematic technique used in the French new wave film Breathless was able to justify a loose narrative and was used as a mean to hold the story together. Jean-Luc Godard, the director of Breathless, knew and understood that the narrative wasn’t very “together” so he used that to his advantage to experiment with editing techniques, specifically jump cuts (which are most of the cuts in the film). The scene I’ve chosen to look at is the one in which Patricia brings milk back to Michel and tells him that she’s told the police she knows his location, essentially turning him in. The scene itself is much like the entire movie, with only jump cuts, and only two of the six jump cuts even reasonably matching consistently. The scene begins with a high angle (as most of the scene is shot, as well as used often in other parts of the film) medium shot. Michel is coming in the left corner of the frame, listening to dietetic music that is playing from a record player (as a reminder of his childhood). There is a jump cut to a high angle, wide shot, aerial view as we see Michel in the position he was in the previous shot, and Patricia entering the room. We see the bird’s eye view of her walking in, handing Michel a newspaper, and we follow her as she gets the milk and brings it to him. They then stand next to each other to the left of the column. The two are separated as Michel walks to the right of the frame, then down into the darkness, almost off the frame. There is then a jump cut. Instead of rounding the corner like Patricia did previously, he is now standing in the middle of the frame, facing her. This jump occurs right after Patricia says she cannot go to Italy, which almost comes as a shock to Michel, and the jump cut is able to symbolize that. Right before Patricia tells Michel that she calls the police, there is another jump cut. This again prepares us for a level of shock – we are shocked by the abrupt editing (or are we at this point?) and even though we already know what Michel is about to find out, we can share in his shock. Throughout all of those cuts, however, we still remain at a high angle, aerial, wide lens view of the room. However, after she informs him that she has called the police, not only is there a jump cut but we change views. For the first time in the entire scene, we aren’t viewing them from above; we are eye level with them. We are parallel to them, Michel facing Patricia on the left. He asks her if she is crazy, and then we proceed to have a shot that lasts nearly two minutes of Patricia explaining herself to him. The lack of jump cuts could be said to represent her levelheadedness in the matter, contrary to Michel’s perspective. For much of the shot, we follow Patricia (and much of the longer shots are justified, in a certain sense, by us following a character in particular) and we can hear Michel’s voice in the background. While there isn’t a jump cut before we get into the next idea (after Patricia is finished explaining her actions), Michel stops the music, which serves as a jump in it of itself because it’s almost as abrupt as an inconsistent jump cut. The shot then almost changes point of view as we begin to follow Michel as he tries to justify his actions. The next jump cut of the scene occurs after the shot that is several minutes long. We go from Michel to a close up of Patricia as she rebuts what Michel has said. We can through this cut see her facial reaction to what Michel is saying. The camera then pans over to Michel and we are able to get his perspective in the same way we got Patricia’s. The last jump cut of the scene occurs when we jump from a close up of a Patricia-Michel pan to Michel jolting away from Patricia after he realizes he’s forgotten something. Overall, jump cuts are able to hold the shots together and evoke emotion to create a scene that makes more sense than without them in a movie with little narrative.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the style that is presented in this film, a very casual but professional style that is laid back. As a film of the 1960s, À Bout de Souffle revolves around the lives of a youthful couple, whose playful conversations make their relationship seem so complex. And it is hard to ignore the editing and film style that is used, jump cutting and handheld camera. The jump cuts make us feel as though time is passing by quickly, suggesting how meaningless each moment is. Things just happen so fast when we follow their lives. At one moment Michel and Patricia are casually walking down the street, and in the next Michel is shot dead in the middle of one.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene towards the start of the film when Michel is carelessly cruising in his new Bugatti, it almost seems like a documentary. When he is talking, doesn’t it feel like it’s directed towards us? It feels extremely real and life like, he even stares directly at the camera. Yet again, this is a pioneer film in the French New Wave. And though this scene seems authentic, we still are reminded that these events are fiction. The fourth wall is strong with this one! About 22 minutes into the film, when the two are driving another stolen car, there is a set of jump cuts, each containing a different dialogue or action. Even when Michel says something, the shot remains a medium close up of the back side of Patricia. Perhaps the jump cuts are meant to emphasize what the importance of what they actually say, and not the silent moments in between them.